Bhide asked to explain "kids through mangoes" claim

The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has asked right-wing activist Sambhaji Bhide to name the childless couples who, he claimed, were blessed with children after eating mangoes from his farm.

The civic body sent a show cause notice to Bhide, asking him to prove his claim that the fruit from his mango orchards helped these couples in having a male child.

The activist had made the claim earlier this month at a public rally in Nashik, which was part of his mission to reinstate the golden throne at Raigad - the erstwhile capital of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's kingdom.

"I have never shared this with anyone except my mother. I have planted these mango trees in my farms. Till now, 180 childless couples took the fruit from me and 150 of them have had children," Bhide had claimed.

"If a couple wants a male child, they will have it after eating these mangoes. This mango is useful for those facing infertility," Bhide had boasted.

The NMC sent the notice to Bhide last week after a social activist approached the health authorities debunking his claim, a civic official said.

Bhide has been asked to furnish names of the "beneficiary" couples and their addresses, the official said.

Bhide, who heads the Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan, is an accused in the January 1 Bhima-Koregaon caste violence case.